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Coroner's office: forensic pathologist to retire, morgue storage costs and overdose trend noted
Summary
The coroner's office announced forensic pathologist Dr. Asher will retire in December; an RFP for replacement will be issued and officials reported five overdose deaths in July and ongoing concerns about morgue storage costs.
A coroner's office representative (S11) told legislators that Dr. Asher, the county’s primary forensic pathologist, has formally announced her retirement effective at the end of December. "Doctor Asher...has formally announced her retirement the end of December this year," the representative said, and the county will issue a request for proposals for a replacement and is meeting with a potential candidate, Doctor Sloan from Connecticut.
The coroner's representative also updated the legislature on recent caseload figures: they reported 21 deaths in the county for the month of July and nine autopsies performed at the county morgue, including five overdose deaths for that month. The presenter noted a recent rise in overdose fatalities after a month with no overdose deaths and warned against complacency in opioid‑response efforts. He flagged that proposed walk‑in storage costs for the morgue were high and that alternative plans were under discussion.
Legislators agreed to support a proposed rate increase for coroner expenses and thanked the coroner's office for the update. No formal procurement decisions were made on procurement for the morgue at the meeting; an RFP timeline was described and a meetings plan with the coroner and HR was referenced.
